Hell and Back
by xsmokeandmirrors
Summary: Kimberly Taylor had a rough childhood, but Alex Riley made it easier. Now it's 2010 and Kim's life has some major changes. She's a WWE Diva, which is her dream job. And the one giving her bruises isn't her dad anymore, but her boyfriend, Mike Mizanin. When he becomes an NXT pro and John Cena finds out a family secret, Kim's life has even more changes in store.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! It's a new story! I know I'm currently writing other stories that I haven't finished yet, but I wanted to let you guys read the first chapter! This is a major revamping of a story I wrote on Quizilla (my username was piegirl22) back in 2011 called ****_Being Awesome Has No Advantages._**** It has a new name and is written much nicer. It has the same characters and the same plot.**

**Also, the name of this story is from the song ****_Hell and Back_**** by Tonight Alive.**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own no one but Kimberly, Drew, and their parents. Everyone else owns themselves. If I owned Alex Riley, he'd be on TV all the time.**

* * *

Kimberly sat on her bed, looking out her bedroom window at the moving truck across the street.

Kim had lived in her house her whole life. Up until a few months ago, the house across the street was usually rented out by college students. Once the four years ago, it was vacated, and once the fall came around again, a new group of students would move in.

This time was different. A family lived across the street from her. She knew because she saw the boy who lived there. His parents had been walking in and out of the house all day, bringing furniture inside. He had showed up that morning with his older brother and run inside, not making another appearance outside.

There was a soft knock at her door and a blonde head peeked in.

"Dinner's ready," Drew said. "Dad's not home yet, so it's safe to come out."

Kim nodded and followed her brother downstairs. She glanced at the couch in the living room on the way to the kitchen, where her mother was sleeping. The TV was muted and playing the six o'clock news. A half full beer bottle sat on the coffee table.

In the dining room were two paper plates with hot dogs on them. One just had ketchup on the meat, which Kim knew was hers. She grabbed a glass of water and walked over to her seat.

She ate her dinner. Then the front door opened.

* * *

Kim lived only a few blocks from the middle school, so she walked, while Drew took the bus to the high school.

After grabbing her backpack, she walked outside and started heading in the direction of the school.

"Hey!"

She turned around, confused. The boy who moved in across the street was running towards her.

Her eyes widened. "Yeah?"

"Do you go to the middle school?" He asked after finally catching his breath.

"Yeah," She repeated. "Do you?"

He nodded. "I just moved here and I don't know my way around here."

"I can show you how to get there," She said. "Follow me."

He grinned. "Thanks."

They walked in silence for a minute or two, then the boy said, "My name is Alex, by the way."

"I'm Kimberly," She said.

"So, uh…" He said. "How long have you lived here?"

"I was born and raised here," She replied. "I've never lived anywhere else. Where are you from?"

"Washington, D.C," He said, smiling. "My dad got a job here, so we had to move."

"Oh."

After a few minutes of silence, Alex said, "You don't talk much, do you?"

She shrugged. "I guess not."

"That's okay," He said. "I can do most of the talking for us."

Kim looked up from her feet to look at Alex. "You want to keep talking to me?"

"Yeah!" He said. "Why wouldn't I?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. People just don't normally talk to me."

He frowned. "That's not nice. I'm going to be your best friend, okay Kimberly?"

She smiled. "Okay."

* * *

After school, Kim and Alex walked home together. Kim managed to talk a little more than she had that morning, and Alex was happy with the progress.

When they reached Kim's house, Alex said bye and made his way across the street to his house. Kim walked into her house, where she was greeted by her dad standing in the living room.

"Damn it, Kim-Kim, why are you always late?" He asked, angrily. He was drunk.

Kim frowned and looked at the clock. "This is the same time I get home everyday…"

He closed the distance between them in two long strides and slapped her. "Don't back talk me! You know how much I hate hitting you."

She looked down at her feet. "I'm sorry…"

"Your chores for today are in the kitchen," He said. "They need to be done before I get home from work."

Kim just nodded. He said this everyday, so it was all apart of her routine.

He went upstairs and grabbed the briefcase he brought to work everyday. Kim and Drew weren't allowed to open it, so they didn't know what was in it. Kim didn't even know what her dad did for a living. Drew had his suspicions, but he refused to tell Kim until she was older.

"Goodbye, Kim-Kim," Her dad said, opening the front door.

"Bye, Daddy," She said, softly.

He closed the door. Kim sighed and walked into the kitchen to look at her chores for the day. The front door opened and closed, which meant Drew was home.

He put his backpack away and joined Kim in the kitchen.

"Are you okay?"

She didn't realize she had been silently crying. She quickly wiped away her tears and attempted to smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Drew sighed. He knew not to question her, and even if he did, she wouldn't answer him. He figured he knew what happened anyway.

They quickly got to work.

* * *

_Two Weeks Later:_

"So, Kimmy…"

Kim looked away from her homework to see her brother standing in the doorway.

"What is it, Drew?" She asks, frowning.

"Your birthday is tomorrow and you're turning eleven," He says.

"I know." She grins.

"Is there anything you want?" He asks. "If there's anything you want, don't be afraid to ask. I have money now."

Drew was seventeen and had just gotten his first job, working in a local grocery store. It was a weird feeling to him, having money, but he was going to take advantage of it. If there was something his little sister wanted that their parents wouldn't get her, he'd get it for her.

She shrugs. "I mean… I guess a cake would be nice."

"Okay." He smiles. "When I get home after school tomorrow, I will have a cake for you."

The next day, Kim woke up, took a shower, and got dressed.

Today she was eleven.

She said goodbye to Drew and walked across the street to wait for Alex.

A few minutes later, his front door opened, but he didn't come out. His mom did.

"Hi, Miss Riley," Kim said, smiling.

Her best friend's mother smiled. "Hi, Kimberly. Alex will be out here soon. He didn't want you to leave without him so he sent me out here."

Kim giggles. "That sounds like him."

Before an awkward silence could develop between the two, Alex appeared behind his mother.

"Hi, Kimberly!" He exclaims. He was holding an envelope in his hand and was grinning.

His mom looks at Kim with a knowing smile. "I'll leave you two alone."

Alex steps outside as his mom goes inside. "Come on!"

He starts walking away, so Kim quickly follows him before he gets too far away.

"What's in the envelope?" She asks.

"You know how I want to be a wrestler when I grow up?" Of course she knew. They walked about it the week they met, and it's all he ever talks about still. She nods. "Well, the WWF is coming here. Well, not, like, _here_, but…" He hands her the envelope. "Here, just open this."

They stop walking and Kim looks down at the white envelope. She starts opening it and glances at Alex, who is grinning. Inside is a birthday card.

She looks up at him, confused. "How do you know it's my birthday?"

"Your brother told me," He says, shrugging. "Now look inside!"

Kim laughs. "Okay!" She opens the card and inside is a ticket. She looks up at him. "Is this…?"

"Wrestling tickets!" He exclaims. "I didn't know what to get you, but then my mom said that I should get you tickets to see wrestling and stuff so then we can like the same things."

Kim smiles. "This is so awesome! I'll have to ask my parents if I can go, though. Thank you, Alex!"

He grins. "You're welcome!" They start walking again. He looks at her. "Hey, Kimberly…?"

She looks at him. "Yeah?"

"Your name is awesome and all, but it's _so _long," He says. "So I'm going to call you Kimmy from now on, okay?"

"Okay." They walk in silence for a few minutes. "Hey, Alex?" He looks at her. "How do you know my brother?"

"He came over to my house last week," He explains. "He said his name was Drew and that he's your brother and he told me it was your birthday."

"Oh, okay."

_Thank you, Drew,_ She thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**I really wanted to write this chapter, so I did. I won't be updating this until I finish _Have Faith in Me_. Until then, enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own no one but my OC, Kimberly. And Drew, who I mention once. Everyone else belongs to themselves.**

* * *

"The following bout is scheduled for one fall!" Justin Roberts announces. "And it is to determine the number one contender for the Divas Championship!"

The crowd cheered. The Anonymous General Manager of _Monday Night Raw_ had announced this match earlier in the night and they were excited. It was a typical heel vs. face match and they knew exactly who they were going to cheer for.

"Introducing first, from Miami, Florida: Layla!"

Layla walks down the ramp, Michelle McCool following close behind.

"And her opponent, from Richmond, Virginia: Kim Rose!"

_Scream_ by Avenged Sevenfold starts playing and the crowd cheers. Kim Rose comes out in her typical purple ring gear, smiling. She gets in the ring and Layla is glaring at her. Kim sticks her hand out, wanting to shake her hand. Layla slaps it away and Michelle laughs. Kim glares at them.

The bell rings.

Michelle gets out of the ring, so now it was only Layla and Kim. They circled each other before locking up. Kim gets the upper hand and shoves Layla. She runs toward her to clothesline her, but Layla reverses with an Irish whip.

Kim lands in the corner. Layla starts running toward her, so she quickly gets out of the way. Layla hits the turnbuckle. She backs up, holding her stomach.

Kim grabs her and performs an Irish whip of her own. She then runs up to her and hits her in the stomach with her knee. Layla moves forward and falls to her knees. Kim grabs her by the hair and throws her to the ropes. She bounces off and Kim hits her with a clothesline.

Michelle hops on the apron, distracting the ref. Layla rolls out of the ring, catching her breath. Kim rolls out after her, grabbing her hair and throwing her back into the ring. Michelle was off the apron and the ref was focused on the match again.

Kim had gotten back in the ring and stood up. Layla was lying on the mat. Kim flipped her hair back and the crowd cheered, excited for what was about to happen.

Kim walks over to the corner and climbs to the top turnbuckle. Making sure Layla was still lying down, she hits her with her finisher, the Rose Petal – a moonsault. She quickly goes for the pin.

"1…2…3!"

"The winner of this match and the number one contender for the Divas Championship: Kim Rose!"

Avenged Sevenfold began playing as the crowd cheered. Kim stood up as Layla rolled out of the ring. The ref raised her hand and she smiled.

Kim headed backstage, where the members of LayCool were waiting for her.

"You did great!" Layla exclaims. "Congrats!"

"You totally deserve it," Michelle adds.

"Thanks!" Kim smiles. "You two are so sweet! But, uh, I need to go. I'll see you guys later."

"Bye, Kim."

Most of the women were in the Divas locker room, but Kim shared a locker room with her boyfriend, Mike Mizanin. She headed there.

When she reached the locker room, she opened the door and Mike was sitting there. When the door opened, he looked at her. He didn't seem happy.

"Hey…" She says softly, closing the door.

"Is that new ring gear?" He asks.

Kim frowns and looks down. "No, it's the same one I've been wearing the past few months."

Mike studies her face. "You're lying."

"No – "

"Also," He interrupts. "Your moonsault was sloppy. You could have seriously injured Layla."

There it was again. He never cared about her moonsault unless she was facing Layla. As far as Kim knew, Mike wasn't cheating on her, but if he did, it would be with Layla.

"I'm sorry…" She says softly.

He stands up and Kim notices that he's in his ring gear. "I have a match. Wait here and then we can go back to the hotel."

"Okay."

He smiles. "I love you, Kim-Kim."

"I love you too, Mike," She says, giving him a small smile.

He walks to the door and leaves. Kim walks over to her stuff and changes. She puts on black leggings, an orange t-shirt from the University of Texas – which was the school Drew went to once he moved out – and black tennis shoes.

She sits down and decides to watch the TV. She missed Mike's opponent's entrance, but he was currently coming out. When he got in the ring, R-Truth was standing in it. Justin Roberts finishes announcing them and the match starts.

It went back and forth, and in the end, Mike won. Kim was grateful because Mike got angry when he lost.

The two Superstars headed backstage. A few minutes later, Mike walks into the locker room. When he sees Kim, he frowns.

"Where did you get that shirt?" He asks. He wasn't angry, but genuinely confused.

"Drew sent it to me a long time ago." He gives her a confused look and she has to keep from sighing. "My brother."

Realization crosses his face as he nods. "Oh." Kim just nods. "Well, Ron said that he and a few other guys are going out, so I think I'm going to join them."

"Oh, okay," She says.

"Can you get a ride back to the hotel?" He asks. "They're leaving from here and I'm taking my car."

"Yeah, sure."

"Awesome," He says, smiling. "You're the best girlfriend ever."

She giggles. "Thanks. And you're the best boyfriend ever." He raises his eyebrows. "Okay, fine, you're the most _awesome_ boyfriend ever."

He kisses her on the cheek. "I never get tired of hearing that, babe."

"I never get tired of saying it," Kim says, smiling. Mike walked over to his stuff and grabbed some clothes. He changed into them. "So… I guess I'll go now."

"Hold on." She looks at him, confused. He walks over to her with a smirk on his face.

He kisses her. It lasts for a few seconds. "Okay, now you can go."

She smiles. "Bye."

Mike leaves, and Kim starts gathering her things. When she's done, she walks out of the room. She takes out her phone. She'd probably just call a cab. That was what she normally did.

"Hey!"

Kim stops and turns around, confused. John Cena was walking up to her, and he was smiling.

"Oh, hey," Kim says when he reaches her.

"Kim, right?" John asks.

"Yep, that's me," She answers. "And you're John Cena."

He grins. "The one and only." She laughs softly. "So, are you heading back to the hotel?"

"I am, actually," Kim says. "Are you?"

"Yeah, do you need a ride?"

"Um, sure," She says after a little thought.

"You're dating Mike, right?" She nods. "If he gives you any shit for riding with me, just let me talk to him."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Kim was about to say something when Randy Orton walked down the hallway and straight to John.

"Hey, Kim. I need to talk to Cena for a second, okay?" Randy says. Kim nods.

Randy drags John down the hallway and Kim stays where she is.

"What?" John asks.

"Dude, she is the fifth Diva you've offered to drive home since you found out all that family stuff," Randy says. "You're going to get a reputation, man, and not a good one."

"I don't care."

"Plus, you don't even know if this girl works for the WWE," Randy says. "For all we know, she could be an accountant. She could be a serial killer. You could never know."

"You have good points," John says. "But what if she _does_ work with us? You never know, Randy. Oh, and by the way, I only offered Kim a ride because it looked like she needed one."

Randy sighs. "Whatever. Just don't come crying to me when she's not the girl you're looking for."

John and Randy walk away in opposite directions. John walks back to Kim, who is in the same spot he left her in.

"Sorry about that," He apologizes.

She shrugs and smiles. "It's fine."

"Are you ready to go?" John asks.

"Yeah, let's go," She says.

* * *

_Six Months Ago:_

_John Cena pulls up to his family's house. Christmas was in two days and he was excited to spend it with his family. He normally had to work Christmas, but he wasn't needed for the next few days, so he quickly got in his car and drove to West Newbury._

_There were two other cars in the driveway, meaning that some of his brothers were already here. John got out of the car and knocked on the front door. A few seconds later, the door opens and his mother is standing in front of him and smiling._

_"John!" She exclaims._

_"Hey, Mom," He says, smiling. He gives her a hug._

_"Come in!" She says, moving out of the way. "Matt and Dan are already here. I'm working on dinner. Make yourself comfortable."_

_John walks into the warm house and his mom scurries back to the kitchen. He walked into the living room, where his dad and brothers were watching a football game. His dad was sitting on his recliner, while Matt and Dan were sitting on the couch._

_When he heard footsteps, Matt turned around and grinned when he saw his brother._

_"John!" He says._

_Dan turns around. "Hey, John! Come on in, we're watching the Patriots game."_

_John shrugs. "Okay."_

_How could a man turn down football? The answer is simple: he can't._

_John walks over to the couch and takes a seat next to Dan._

_They watched football for about 30 more minutes before Carol, their mother, came in and told them it was time to eat._

_Once they were all sitting at the table and the food had been served, they began talking._

_"Sean and Steve will be here tomorrow," Carol says. "It's nice to have the whole family here again."_

_"Yup," John, Sr. says. He takes a bite of chicken._

_Carol sighs. "Can't you at least _try _to add to the conversation, honey?"_

_"I said 'yup,' didn't I?" He asks, confused._

_"I just meant that maybe you could try adding more to the conversation, that's all," She explains. "You haven't seen these boys in such a long time."_

_"They aren't even saying anything," He points out._

_Matt, Dan, and John stop eating and look at their parents, who are staring at them expectantly._

_"Uh…" John says, confused._

_"You guys can just continue your conversation," Matt says, shrugging. "No need to drag us into it."_

_Carol sighs. "Men…"_

_"That's us," John says, smirking._

_Carol rolls her eyes. "I wish I had a daughter to side with me on things like this." Her husband shoots her a look, but she ignores it. "Now hurry up and eat. I made a pie."_

_The parents looked at their kids, hoping they didn't notice the look that passed between them. Luckily, they were too busy stuffing their faces with chicken and mashed potatoes to notice. Carol gave a soft sigh of relief._

_When they were finished eating, Carol gathered the dishes. Her sons offered to help, but she assured them that she had it, so the men began discussing ways the New England Patriots could improve that season._

_Once she retrieved the apple pie and five plates, Carol walked back into the dining room. She slows to a stop when she realizes that it's silent. John is looking at his dad suspiciously. She could feel the tension in the air as her husband noticed her return and gives her a look begging for help._

_Carol walked the rest of the way into the room, setting the pie and plates down on the table._

_"Oh no," She says, sighing. "I forgot the silverware." She turns around to walk out of the room._

_"Mom," Matt says._

_She looks at him. "Yes?"_

_"John asked Dad a question, and he's refusing to answer it," Matt explains._

_"Well, what is it, dear?"_

_John spoke up this time. "You were saying earlier that you wished you had a daughter. Then you and dad shared this weird look. We all noticed, but we wanted to wait until we were done eating to talk about it." Matt and Dan nod._

_Carol sighs and sits down. "It's time we told you…"_

_"Carol," John, Sr. interrupts._

_"Honey, we've kept it from them long enough," Carol says. "It's time we told them."_

_"Told us what?" Dan asks._

_"You guys…had a sister," She says. They look at her, shocked. "It was after I had all of you. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew we couldn't afford to raise another child. We already had five! I couldn't have an abortion, so we put her up for adoption. None of you were old enough at the time to realize what was going on, so…we never told you."_

_"Why didn't you tell us?"_

_"What's her name?"_

_"We have a sister?"_

_Carol sighs. "We didn't tell you because we knew we gave her to a good home. She was taken from us once she was born, so we never met her. Her parents took her, and whenever we tried to call them to schedule a visit, they never answered, and soon the number was disconnected. We never saw or met her, because they moved shortly after she was born."_

_"That doesn't seem shady to you?" John asks._

_"I met her parents only once, and they seemed like nice people," She explains. "I'm sure they had a reason for all of that."_

_"What's her name?" Matt asks._

_"I don't know," Carol admits. "I do know her parents' last name was Taylor, so I guess she has the same last name as them. I never knew her first name."_

_Matt and John sit at the table in silence. Dan abruptly stands up and leaves the room. Carol sighs and her husband looks at her._

_"I told you not to tell them."_

_"No," John says. "It's okay. I'm glad she told us. I'm going to look for her. I'm going to track her down so that we can meet her."_

_"John…"_

_John stood up and left the room. His mother sighs for what felt like the millionth time that night._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

* * *

John and Kim walk out of the arena, talking about his family.

"You have _four_ brothers?" She asks, incredulously.

He smiles. "Yep. Our mom didn't know what to do with all of us, but we were one big happy family."

"That's sweet," Kim says, smiling.

"So, what about your family?" He asks as they reach his car. "Got any siblings?"

"Just a brother," She says, getting into the car. "He's seven years older than me, but we're really close."

"That's great," He says, nodding. They drive in silence for a few minutes, until he says, "So, I just realized that you've been in the WWE for a few years and I don't even know your last name."

"It's been four years, actually," She says.

"And you're just now getting a title shot?" He asks.

"Well, I held the title two years ago for about three months," She says. "I guess they wanted to let some of the other Divas hold it too, so I guess it's okay."

"You're pretty okay with it," He says.

She shrugs. "Yeah, I guess."


	3. Chapter 3

**I finally finished _Have Faith in Me_, so here's a new chapter of _Hell and Back_!**

**For some reason, when I posted chapter two, FanFiction decided not to post the end of it, so it ended in a weird spot. Sorry about that. I did include the part that got cut off though, and it's the beginning of this chapter.**

**Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own all unfamiliar characters. Everyone else belongs to the WWE or themselves.**

* * *

"I can't really say I've felt the same way, since they keep giving me title shot after title shot," John admitted.

Kim laughed. "Oh, yeah. I'm talking to John Cena, who's held the WWE Championship more times than I can count."

"I think if you look it up on Wikipedia, you can figure it out," He said.

"Okay, I'll be sure to do that." She rolled her eyes.

"So, uh, your last name?"

"I'm sure you can look it up on Wikipedia," She mocked.

"I'm driving, though," He said. "That's dangerous."

"I guess you have a point," She said. "Well, my full name is Kimberly Rose Taylor."

John widened his eyes and almost slammed on the brakes, but he quickly regained his composure. He looked over at Kimberly, who was looking out the window and hadn't noticed his reaction.

Her last name was Taylor. Could this be the girl he'd spent the past few months trying to find? Or was it just a coincidence? Taylor was a fairly common last name, and the only way to determine if it was her would be to ask for her age. Luckily, John knew better than that. Also, he didn't actually _know_ how old his sister would be. His mom never gave an exact date. He was silent as he contemplated how to continue the conversation.

Finally, he said, "So, where are you from?"

"Virginia," She replied. "Born and raised. Well, raised, at least. My parents never told me where I was born, but it only makes sense that I was born in Virginia…" She paused. "Sorry. I ramble on a lot."

John smiled. "It's fine."

"Well, I mean, sometimes Mike gets annoyed with my rambling, and I don't want to – "

"Kimberly," He interrupted. She stopped talking. "I said it's fine. I don't need an explanation."

They arrived at the hotel. John pulled into the parking lot, found a spot, and turned off the car.

He and Kim got out of the car and headed inside.

* * *

Alex Riley stood at the front desk of the Marriott Inn and Suites, talking to the lady at the front desk about his room. The second season of NXT was set to start next week, so he would start traveling with the other Superstars this week.

The lady behind the desk – her name was Helen – was a very nice woman. She was in her late 50s or early 60s. She had short, curly hair and bright blue eyes. She had a smile the whole time they talked, and Alex made a mental note to let her manager know how hospitable she was.

"Okay, here's your key," She said, handing it to him. "And your room is on the third floor. Any questions?"

"No, I think I got it," Alex replied, smiling. "Thank you. Have a good night!"

Helen smiled. "It's my pleasure."

Alex turned around and almost bumped into someone.

"I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed.

She smiled. "It's fine. I pretty much snuck up behind you. I'll be sure to make more noise next time."

Alex smiled, then realization began to set in. "Hey, you're one of the Divas, right?"

"Yep," She said. "I'm Kim Rose, the new number one contender for the Divas Championship. You just missed John Cena." She laughed.

Alex frowned, but quickly stuck out his hand, a smile taking over his face. "My name's Alex. I'm going to be on NXT."

Kim shook his hand. "To be honest, I didn't watch last season, but I'll be sure to watch this season. I'll be rooting for you."

"You don't even know if I'm any good," He pointed out.

"If you weren't any good, would they have put you on the show?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Good point," He said, laughing. "Well, I have to go, but hopefully I'll see you around, Kim Rose."

"You too, Alex," She said.

Alex walked away and to the elevator.

He knew who she was. He recognized her the minute he saw her face. She still had that look in her eye that was a combination of sadness and hopeful optimism. She had grown up since high school, but she was still the same Kim he knew.

Kim may not have realized it, but she had an impact on his life. She persuaded him to live a life with no regrets, and to always chase after his dreams, which was how he had gotten to where he was now. If it wasn't for Kim, he might not have had the determination to try out for NXT.

Alex had decided to wait to let her know who he was. He wanted to give her a chance to figure out who he was. He didn't want to rush things.

She might not have forgiven him for the last time they spoke. Honestly, he wouldn't forgive himself, either.

Sure, he was a hormonal teenage boy at the time, but that didn't give him the right to say the things he did.

* * *

**_11 Years Ago (1999):_**

_Kim walked the halls of Robinson Secondary School. Everything was decorated for prom. Different posters were on the wall, asking students to vote for prom king and queen._

_ She was searching for her locker, and when she finally found it, she put in the combination and opened it. As she was putting her books into the locker, someone tapped the door._

_She moved the door and saw his face. She rolled her eyes and smiled, zipping up her backpack._

_"What do you need, Alex?" She asked, shutting the locker door. They began walking._

_"What? I'm not allowed to talk to my best friend?" Alex asked, smirking._

_"No, you're not. Not when football practice starts in," She paused, looking at her watch. "Five minutes. You don't normally talk to me after school. What is it, Alex?"_

_He stopped walking, and she almost didn't notice. She stopped and turned to look at him._

_"Well, uh," He said, scratching the back of his head. "You know Allie Spencer?"_

_Of course Kim knew Allie Spencer. Allie was the head of the cheerleading team, and one of the most popular girls in school. She was also running for prom queen._

_"Yeah," Kim said, frowning. "Why?"_

_"It's kind of a funny story, actually," Alex started._

_"Alex Riley, what did you do?" Kim asked. He mumbled something. "What was that? I didn't hear you."_

_"I…" He trailed off, then sighed. "I asked Allie to go to prom with me."_

_"You asked Allie Spencer to go to prom with you?" _

_"Yeah…"_

_"Alex, what the hell?" She asked. "You promised that you'd take me to prom! You know no one else wants to go with me!"_

_It was true. Kim was always wearing dark clothing and long-sleeved shirts, and it was April. She didn't talk to nearly anyone, besides Alex._

_"C'mon, Kimmy," He said. "I'm sure someone wants to go with you."_

_"Prom is in a week," She said. "No one's asked me yet. Why would they ask me now?"_

_"You never know…"_

_"Alex, what's going on?" She asked. "Why would you ask Allie to go to prom with you? You promised me months ago that'd you take me."_

_Alex frowned and sighed in frustration. "You want to know why? People like Allie. People don't like you. It's my senior prom, and I don't want to be taking some girl nobody likes out of pity. Allie is a shoe-in for prom queen and she's outgoing. She's gorgeous. You don't talk to anyone, and…"_

_"And I'm ugly," Kim finished for him._

_"Kim, that's not – "_

_"Save it, Riley," She interrupted. "Go to prom with Allie. I don't care. She's prettier and more outgoing than me anyway." She paused. "You're going to be late for football practice. I need to go."_

_"Kim, wait!"_

_She kept walking and didn't look back._

_That was the last time Kim and Alex spoke._

_END FLASHBACK_

* * *

And while, yes, Alex did get laid prom night, none of that should've happened. He should have taken Kim to prom, not Allie. While Allie was outgoing, she never said anything interesting. He and Kim had stayed up for hours before just talking about life.

He'd made a promise to Kim, but he broke it so he could keep up his reputation.

Alex could never forgive himself for that.

* * *

"Dude, open up!"

Randy opened his hotel room door, frowning. John just banged on his door, and he'd bet twenty dollars he knew why.

"What do you want, John?" He asked.

"Guess what I just found out."

"What did you find out?" Randy asked, hoping he'd hurry this up.

"Kim's last name," John said. "It's Taylor. Just like my sister's last name."

Randy would be taking that twenty bucks now.

"John," Randy said. "How do you know your sister didn't get married? She could have a completely different last name now."

"But what if she didn't?" John asked. "There's a possibility that Kim could be my sister, and you're trying to tell me she's not and that my actual sister got married."

"Which seems more likely?"

John sighed. "It does seem more likely she got married, but can't you let me hope that Kim is my sister? She's the first person I've found who could possibly be her."

"Look, I'm sorry," Randy apologized. "I'm tired. I'm happy for you that your sister _might_ be Kim. Just don't be weird about it with her, okay?"

"Of course I won't," John said. "I'll let you get some sleep. I'll see you around."

John walked away, and Randy let out a sigh of relief before shutting is door.

* * *

Kim walked into her hotel room and shut the door.

"Where the hell have you been?"

She frowned, but quickly wiped it off her face when she turned around.

"Sorry," She apologized. "There was a line at the front desk, so it took a little while to get my room key."

Mike studied her face for a minute, then said, "You're lying."

"No – "

"I'm getting a drink," He said, grabbing his phone and room key. "You better be here when I come back."

He stormed out of the room and slammed the door. Kim sighed and sat down on the bed.

When Mike was drunk, he was unpredictable. Sometimes, he'd come back and they'd get in a fight. Sometimes, he'd decide they should have sex. Other times, she never saw him until the next day. She never knew what he was doing when that happened.

Multiple people had confronted her about her relationship with Mike, but she always told them the same thing: he was a nice guy once you got to know him. Of course, he only showed the nice side when they were around other people, but Kim loved Mike, so she couldn't just decide to get up and leave him one day.

Finally, Kim stood up and decided to put on her pajamas. She was going to go to sleep. Sure, she'd be in her pajamas when Mike came back, but at least he wouldn't be mad at her for leaving.

Once she got dressed, she crawled into bed, turned off the lamp, and went to sleep.


End file.
